Antiquorum achieved excellent results for its two day sale of Important Collectors’ Wristwatches, Pocket Watches & Clocks on March 10th and 11th in New York resulting in the outstanding sum of $5,000,388. The auction of 467 timepieces including ‘The Arman Collection’ from world renowned artist Arman attracted a record number of 584 registered internet bidders, the most ever in Antiquorum history. Enthusiastic room bidding, in addition to telephone and internet bidding came from countries such as Spain, Russia, China, Canada, Italy as well as the United States. Remarkable prices were achieved resulting in an impressive 90% of the lots being sold – representing one of the highest sell thru rates in Antiquorum’s history.
“The introduction of a live video feed, to compliment online bidding, has created a steady increase in online participantion, both domestically and internationally, as the online bidding experience becomes more comparable to physically being in the room.” said Evan Zimmermann, President & CEO, Antiquorum.
“We are encouraged by the results achieved today for collectible timepieces,” said Julien Schaerer, Watch Director & Auctioneer, Antiquorum USA. “As confirmed by these results, prices realized for rare vintage and modern wristwatches have increased by 15% in the past year. We anticipate that prices will continue to strengthen in the year ahead as consumer confidence in the market continues to build.”
The Arman Collection drew global attention from watch collectors and art aficionados alike. Many of the pieces attained outstanding prices. The Patek Philippe ref. 3970 (lot 467) sold for a noteworthy $ 87,600 while the Patek Philippe ref. 3971 (lot 466) achieved $ 84,000. In addition the Patek Philippe ref. 1415 “World Time” in yellow gold (lot 465) fetched a significant sum of $ 84,000. Moreover, the very rare Patek Philippe ref. 2459 “Devil’s Horns” (lot 464) drew considerable interest from collectors and sold for $ 38,400. Also of note, the Cartier “Tank Reversible Basculante”(lot 435) was in great demand and sold for an incredible $ 18,000 – three times its high estimate. In addition, the Minerva “Oversize Split – Second Chronograph” (lot 392) achieved a fantastic $15,600.
“We are very pleased by the outcome of ‘The Arman Collection’ in today’s sale. These results confirm enthusiasm on behalf of the collector community for a retrospective collection of timepieces that were chosen by a world renowned artist, demonstrating their willingness to pay a premium for timepieces with important provenance,”said Charles Tearle, Watch Expert & Director, Antiquorum USA
Furthermore, Patek Philippe timepieces attained notable prices. The Patek Philippe ref. 5970 in white gold (lot 218) sold for a remarkable $ 138,000 while the Patek Philippe ref. 3970 in platinum (lot 220) obtained $141,600. Another excellent price was fetched by the Patek Philippe ref 5059 in platinum (lot 375) which sold for $ 69,600.
Breguet also did exceptionally well with the “Platinum Minute – Repeater Perpetual Calendar” (lot 308) which attained $ 126,000. In addition, Rolex achieved good results; the “Pro – Hunter Black Daytona” (lot 166) sold for $ 25,200 while the Rolex ref. 1665 “Double Red – Mark II” (lot 331) obtained $ 33,600. Furthermore, the Rolex ref. 1680 “ Red Submariner Mark II” (lot 162) fetched $ 14,400 at the March auction.
In addition, impressive prices were obtained for IWC. The IWC platinum “Big Pilot” (lot 149) sold for $ 30,000 and the IWC “GST Deep One “ in titanium (lot 152) achieved $ 16,800, a world record for the reference. Moreover, FP Journe was also in demand with its platinum “Chronometre a Resonance” (lot 212) which sold for $ 50,400.
Not to be overlooked was the Officine Panerai PAM 203 “Luminor 1950 8 Day” which attained $ 108,000. In addition, the A. Lange & Sohne platinum “Double Split Flyback” (lot 216) sold for an impressive $ 84,000. Also, the Tudor chronograph with black dial, Ref. 7032 (lot 42) fetched an amazing $ 38,400. Finally, the Cartier onyx desk clock (lot 94) stirred collectors’ interest and sold for an exceptional $ 26,400.
Antiquorum looks forward to our next auction in Geneva on March 20th & 21st which will feature a wide variety of modern collectible watches as well as some exquisite Patek Philippe timepieces.
The “Top Lots” for Antiquorum’s March 10th & 11th auction are as follows:
LOT 220
Patek Philippe Ref. 3970 Platinum Patek Philippe, Genève, Ref. 3970 EP. Made in 2004, sold July 14th, 2005. Very fine and important, water-resistant, platinum wristwatch with round button chronograph, register, perpetual calendar, moon phases, leap year, 24-hour indication and a platinum Patek Philippe deployant clasp.
SOLD 141,600 USD
LOT 218
Patek Philippe Ref. 5970 White Gold Patek Philippe, Genève, Ref. 5970 G. Sold on January 1st, 2007. Very fine, astronomic, water-resistant, 18K white gold wristwatch with square button chronograph, register, perpetual calendar, moon phases, tachometer, sapphire crystal back and an 18K white gold Patek Philippe deployant clasp.
SOLD 138,000 USD
LOT 308
Breguet Platinum Minute Repeater – Perpetual Calendar Breguet, Ref. 5447. Made circa 2006. Extremely fine and rare, astronomic, minute-repeating, platinum wristwatch with perpetual calendar, retrograde months, phases and age of the moon and a platinum deployant clasp.
SOLD 126,000 USD
LOT 282
Panerai Pam 203 Luminor 1950 8 Day Return of a Legend Officine Panerai, “Luminor 1950 8 Day,” Ref. OP 6624. Made in a limited edition of 150 pieces in 2005. Fine and very rare, large, cushion-shaped, water resistant to 100 meters, stainless steel, military-type diver’s wristwatch with a stainless steel Officine Panerai buckle.
SOLD 108,000 USD
LOT 219
Patek Philippe Ref. 3970 Pink Gold Patek Philippe, Genève, Ref. 3970 E. Made in the early 1990’s. Very fine and important, water-resistant, 18K pink gold wristwatch with round button chronograph, register, perpetual calendar, moon phases, leap year, 24-hour indication and an 18K pink gold Patek Philippe deployant clasp.
SOLD 90,000 USD
LOT 467
PATEK PHILIPPE REF. 3970 PERPETUAL CALENDAR CHRONOGRAPH Patek Philippe, Genève, Ref. 3970EG. Sold by de Galanta Jewelers, Trento, Italy, circa 2002. Very fine and important, water-resistant, 18K white gold wristwatch with round button chronograph, register, perpetual calendar, moon phases, leap year, 24-hour indication and an 18K white gold Patek Philippe deployant clasp.
SOLD 87,600 USD
LOT 465
PATEK PHILIPPE REF. 1415 WORLD-TIME Patek Philippe, Genève, Ref. 1415 HU. Made in 1949, sold on May 12, 1949. Production of this reference started in 1939. Fine and very rare, World Time, 18K yellow gold wristwatch with an 18K yellow gold Patek Philippe buckle.
SOLD 84,000 USD
LOT 466
PATEK PHILIPPE REF. 3971 PERPETUAL CALENDAR CHRONOGRAPH Patek Philippe, Genève, Ref. 3971 E. Made in 1989. Very fine and rare 18K yellow gold wristwatch with round button chronograph, registers, perpetual calendar, moon phases and an 18K yellow gold Patek Philippe buckle.
SOLD 84,000 USD
LOT 216
A. Lange & Söhne Platinum Double Split Flyback A. Lange & Söhne, Glashütte i. SA., “Double Split Flyback,” Ref. 404.035. Made in 2007, sold October 18th, 2008. Production of this reference started in 2005. Very fine, rare and important, platinum wristwatch with square button split-seconds and split-minutes fly-back chronograph, register, tachometer, power-reserve indication and an A. Lange & Söhne platinum deployant clasp.
SOLD 84,000 USD
LOT 375
Patek Philippe Ref. 5059 Platinum Patek Philippe, Genève, Ref. 5059 P. Made in 2005, sold March 23rd, 2006. Very fine and rare, Officer-style, center seconds, self-winding, water-resistant, platinum wristwatch with perpetual calendar, moon phases, retrograde date, and a platinum Patek Philippe deployant clasp.
SOLD 69,600 USD
About Antiquorum
Established in Geneva in 1974, with the addition of its New York affiliate Antiquorum USA in 1994, Antiquorum has carved its own unparalleled niche in the auction world by cultivating a thriving collector’s market for timepieces worldwide. An impressive 49 of the 81 watches sold publicly by major auction houses for over SFr. 1,000,000 were sold by Antiquorum. In 2002, Antiquorum set the all-time world record for a wristwatch at auction, selling a unique 1939 platinum Patek Philippe World Time Ref. 1415 for US$ 4,026,524 (SFr. 6,603,500) – more than double the previous world record. Another record price for a modern watch was achieved in 2004, the unique white gold Calibre 89, also by Patek Philippe, was sold for SFr. 6,603,500 (US$ 5,002,652). Among the world records in 2005, the “Tour de l’Ile”, at US$ 1,564,000 (SFr. 1,876,250), set a world record for a contemporary wristwatch and the “King Fouad I”, at US$ 2,755,000 (SFr. 3,306,250), achieved the highest price ever paid for a Vacheron Constantin. Another record was achieved in 2009, when Gandhi’s pocket watch, sandals, glasses, bowl and thali, sold for an astounding $2,096,000. Antiquorum holds approximately ten auctions a year, in Geneva, New York, and Hong Kong, with previews held in major cities worldwide. In addition to its auction centers in Geneva, New York, and Hong Kong, Antiquorum maintains offices and agents in Paris, Milan, London, Munich, Shanghai, Tokyo, and Moscow.